How to Train Your Dragon #2: How to Be a Pirate Award-winning author

Author/Illustrator

Cressida Cowell

Cressida grew up in London and on a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland. The island had no roads, houses or electricity. For the first four years, the family would be dropped off like castaways on the island by a local boatman and picked up again two weeks later. Imagine being like Robinson Crusoe and having a whole island to yourself to explore…

By the time Cressida was eight, the family had built a small stone house on the island, so they no longer had to camp out in tents, which made life much drier. Her father got a boat, so they could fish for enough food to feed the family for the whole summer.

Every year, Cressida spent the long summer holiday, and some of the spring, on the island. The house was lit by candle-light, and there was no electricity, telephone or television, so Cressida and the family lived like people in the olden days. In the evening, Cressida’s father told the children old Scottish tales about the people who lived on the islands round about, who were always fighting and tricking each other, and about dragons living in caves in the cliffs.

Cressida spent her time writing stories, fishing for things to eat, and exploring the island looking for these dragons. These childhood experiences (quite apart from her fluency in Old Norse, of course), made her delighted to be approached to translate the Hiccup memoirs…

After leaving school Cressida studied English at university, and then got degrees in graphic design and illustration at art college. For her final project at art school she created a childrens’ book called Little Bo Peep’s Library Book and was lucky enough to have that book published in 1998. She has gone on to write ten more picture books, including the popular Emily Brown stories, which won the Nestle Childrens’ Book Prize in 2006.

In 2002 she began to write a book for older children. Remembering the stories she had written on the island as a child, these ideas became the book How to Train Your Dragon. There are now nine books in the Hiccup series, and a DreamWorks Animation film of How to Train Y0ur Dragon came out in 2010!

Cressida lives in London with her husband, three children and a hamster.

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What kids think

1. livelaughread
   on 29 June 2016

   this book was really good i could never put it down and I think you should read it

2. bookaholic202
   on 8 March 2014

   This is the one where Hiccup finds he is bad at sword fighting because he is right handed. A great book.

3. tomgates27
   on 27 January 2014

   i liked it in places but really boring in others

   3out of 5

4. sandy987
   on 12 July 2013

   This book is amazing and descriptive. It makes you want to read more and finish the book. I have loved reading this book. WOW!!!!!

   5out of 5

5. coolcars
   on 7 September 2012

   I loved this book as it had the right mix of things in for me. I think this book will be good for everyone as it has pirates and adventure which everyone would like to read. If you haven’t read any of the series I would recommend.

   5out of 5

6. hamy1710
   on 3 March 2012

   really good

7. smileitsfriday
   on 1 March 2012

   Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and the Hairy Hooligan Tribe find an old coffin marked with the words : DO NOT OPEN. Can he save the tribe, find Grimbeard the Ghastly’s treasure, stop Alvin the Treacherous and get back before dinner? * * * * * again! How to Train Your Dragon is hilariously funny. Great for any age!

8. wizardking142
   on 31 July 2011

   I love this book is funny and dreammaking YOU ROCK CRESSSIDA COWELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   5out of 5